Now, treasure hunters and scientists are scouring the area where the meteor exploded in California, which is about three miles wide and 10 miles long, in hopes of finding pieces of the space rock. Estimates suggest it will go for as much as $1,000 a gram and be invaluable to science, according to the LA Times.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville estimated the meteor was around the size of a minivan and likely weighed around 154,300 pounds.
Already, several pieces have been located by those eager to hold a piece of history, notes CNN.
The LA Times reports meteorite hunter Robert Ward dropped everything to get to the area and in short order located a rare type of find, a carbonaceous chondrite, in a parking lot. A woman found a 17-gram fragment while walking her dog.
NASA is organizing a search for more samples. Experts say it is important to find the meteorite fragments soon because rain will cause the pieces to degrade and lose their sodium as well as potassium, reports Fox News.